SVG Ventures/THRIVE has announced the first iteration of THRIVE Canada Accelerator Program and the 10 startups selected to join their cohort.

The 10 finalists, four from Ontario, two from Quebec, two from British Columbia and one each from Alberta and Newfoundland were featured in a startup showcase during the 'Spotlight on Canadian Agrifood Innovation' which was officially opened by the Honorable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

The THRIVE Accelerator Program supports early-stage startups from all areas of the value chain whose technologies drive towards a more efficient, sustainable and secure agriculture future. The selected companies benefit from a three-month program that provides investment, direct access to prospective customers, partners, mentors and subject matter experts in addition to global brand visibility.  The program culminates with Demo Day at the THRIVE Canada Agtech Summit during Calgary Stampede in July.

"Innovation is key to solving the challenges within the agricultural supply chain," said John Hartnett, Founder and CEO SVG Ventures/THRIVE. "We are excited to discover, elevate and empower local Canadian startups that are innovating to address these challenges with their ground breaking new technologies."
 
To date THRIVE's Accelerator Program has graduated seven global cohorts and a total of 73 startups including seven Canadian startups. These startups have created more than $1 billion in value. The program has been acknowledged as the No. 1 AgTech Accelerator by AgFunder and SVG Ventures has been recognized by Crunchbase as the Most Active AgTech Investor.

Admission to the Program is fiercely competitive and in it's first year the THRIVE Canada Program received a total of 168 applicants. The competitive selection process, conducted in collaboration with THRIVE's corporate Canadian partners include founding partner Farm Credit Canada, Old's College, Platform Calgary, UFA, Trimble, ATB, Nutrien, University of Guelph and Zone Agtech, among others. The THRIVE Canada Accelerator is also part of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program that is run by a consortium led by Alberta Innovates. The consortium, which also include Jobs, Economy and Innovation and the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, allocated $35 million over three years to retain business accelerators. It's part of an overall government goal to help create 20,000 jobs and increase technology firm revenue to $5 billion by 2030.

The THRIVE Canada Cohort is comprised of the following startups: